:: Closing Time ::

:: Sunday, June 09, 2002 ::

.... I highly doubt Peter Hill reads this, but just for kicks I linked to his blog from Bonnie's and read it, and found a comment about Josh Blodgett (who I don't know at all, but is apparantly the new bane of his own existance). And so I hope if anybody who DOES talk to him with any regularity reads it, they'll reference him to this. Because it's probably not something I'd get a good chance to talk to him about in person.

Homophobia.... is a really fucking unfortunate fact of life. And I -completely- agree with and respect your stance against it on a general level. And I agree that a statement like you said Josh made is disgustingly intolerant. And I personally suggest that if it's bothering you, you talk to somebody in the school. My suggestion would actually be Chad. As touchy a subject as it would be with him specifically, we both know Chad is one of the most understanding and easy to talk to people in the world, and somehow I think if anyone would have any kind of a solution (or at least know who to talk to), he would have an idea. That said....

There are times where your "crusade" of sorts against homophobia basically goes, in my opinion, too far. The example I'll use, since it applies to me and you yelled at me about it, is the swim team generated term "shitdick." I'm not going to go into details, but you accused us of being homophobic. Let me make clear that I understand that you made a mistake, which is why I didn't rip on you about it.... but homophobia is a form of bigotry, and if you really knew me well enough to make such a statement you would know that I hold bigotry only one notch below rape on the ladder of the absolutely horrid. There are very few things that I am fundamentaly -not-, and a bigot is one of them. Your exact words, when we explained that "shitdick" was created in a heterosexual situation and was yet another term making fun of Swanson for (let's get this loud and clear) SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED, was "well, it sounded homophobic. To me. I assumed it was homophobic." Yes, yes you did. There are times when you go too far. Thinking about it, I could see how you would make that mistake. Which is why I didn't blow up at you like I did at the last person to accuse me of bigotry.

The battle is worth fighting, but NOT if you get to the point of false positives. What's more, you can't simply tell people like Josh "do NOT say that" like you wrote that you did. They don't get it. You've got to explain, or try, and risk the ridicule when they don't understand. I know I don't need to explain to you the risk you take when you have a strong, but dissenting opinion. You've got to explain though, or no one will ever learn and you'll just anger people. Almost all of the homophobic (and that's not even a really appropriate word, cause it means afraid of homosexuals, when really we need a different word. Racists aren't afriphobic. Yet it's the one that's used) people I've ever met do -not- fundamentally understand why such an attitude offends us.

There's always more to say on a topic like this. But it's been a graduation party weekend and I don't want to get TOO serious. But I thought I needed to get down what I wanted him to hear before I forgot it.

If anybody talks to him, please point him here. Thanks.
:: Peter 11:20 PM [+] ::
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